Good Luck Dinner & Happy New Year

So, here we are again.  Another holiday season has passed and we are in a new year.

Possibly.. the last year.

If, you believe the Mayans. Or John Cusack.  And, I don’t.

This past year has been an interesting one.

I moved.

I started this blog.

My place got flooded. I moved again.

I grew a tomato.  Actually, a lot of tomatoes.

I reached a milestone birthday… (40).

We had the bit of an accident with the dog.  The dog healed.

I downloaded an iPad app for the cat. I don’t get to use my iPad much anymore.

We traveled to Napa and San Diego and San Francisco and Mammoth.

That actually kind of sums up the past year.  More ups than downs.  Less tears than laughter.  We are happy to blessed with each other, our animals, our family, our homes, health and general well-being.

I’m looking forward to see what this year brings. Three days in and there have been a couple of hiccups on the road already.

But, it is not a sign that this year will be bad.  I think it is to remind us to keep working hard and staying tuned in to what is important to us and continue being focused on what we want to accomplish.  It will happen.  The hiccups are the universes way of making sure we really want it.

The new year is supposed to start by eating a lucky meal.

I read that Black Eyed Peas and Collards became ‘lucky’ during the Civil War.  When the Union came into the South, taking supplies as they needed them, they passed by these food items thinking they were beneath them and only used as slop for the animals.  So those who had them were left unharmed and with a good supply of crops.

I have seen this meal as one big pot of yummy-ness with the black eyed peas and collards simmering away, deepening their flavor with each others help.  I’ve also seen it as a salad with bell pepper and onion. This year, I decided to… as any celebrity Iron Chef might say… deconstruct it.

As I ate this meal, I was thankful.

I think that’s the key to why this is a lucky meal.  When we eat it, we think about what we are thankful for.  When we eat it, we are grateful for how it got to our table.  When we eat it, we bless the food with giving us the best it can give.  So, with this meal comes luck.

With every meal can come luck.  We just don’t call those meals lucky.  But everyday we have food to nourish our bodies is a lucky one.  Honestly, we shouldn’t expect to have food every day.  Many people don’t.

I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions.  I think every day is as good a day as any to change how you live.  But, I do think I want to try something this year that I don’t do currently.  A simple thing.  To just take two seconds.  Five seconds. Maybe more… to be grateful and thankful and turn every dish into a lucky meal.

Happy New Year!

Note: Most of this meal was pre-packaged, which is not something I am prone to doing.  The vegan kielbasa and beans didn’t require any preparation from me other than a quick heat in a pan.  The rice is jasmine.  The green pepper and red onion were thinly sliced and quickly pickled in a brine of apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and chili pepper.  The recipe for the kale is below.

Braised Collard Greens